The Gilmore Legacy
by bhut
Summary: Emily reacts to one of the events in Fall in a calmer way than expected. But she's still scary.


**The Gilmore Legacy**

 _Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine, but belong to their respective owners._

"So, let me get this straight," Emily Gilmore told her daughter and granddaughter. "Rory, you're pregnant."

"And thirty-two," the granddaughter in question fidgeted. "Grandmother, I'm still sorry that I've disappointed you, but-"

"But nothing, dear," Emily put down her cup once more, looking at Rory in a somewhat more-Lorelei manner than the younger women were used to. "You're still my granddaughter, you are carrying my great-grandchild – and I reckon that it will be another girl, given how you seem to be following in our family footsteps…"

"Mother, this is uncalled-for," Lorelei protested, though not as vehemently as she would when they were all younger – Richard Gilmore's death brought them all closer than before, for example, so the old wounds had healed some. Besides… "I'm an honest and married woman now, remember?"

"Yes, dear, you are," Emily replied, shooting a look at Luke who still felt uncomfortable being in the same room as his mother-in-law and stepdaughter were. "I, however, was talking about myself in the same sentence as well. Did you ever wonder, Lorelei dear, why you didn't have any _siblings_?"

There was a pause as Lorelei's mental processes reflected on her face (she was never subtle for all of her other qualities). "Wha-?" she finally said. "What are you – implying, mother?" she finally asked.

"I am not insinuating anything; I'm just asking why, do you think, you never had any _siblings_ , for all of my disagreements with you? Fights, also," Emily repeated, still deceptively mildly.

Lorelei kept silent, this time. Besides her, Luke was wondering if he should hide under the tablecloth until Emily goes away. Considering, that they were at her mansion right now, it probably would not have worked, anyhow.

"Grandma, are you saying that mom is, um," Rory began bravely but began to flail at the end.

"A bastard, dear? Oh my, yes," Emily nodded, still serene. "Tell me, Lorelei – do you remember your uncle Steven?"

"Uncle Steven?" Rory replied instead. "I don't remember anyone named that."

"He was your grandfather's brother; a military man; he died overseas," Lorelei said quietly. "He was a good man. Your grandfather and I used to argue about him, until I got pregnant with you, and eventually moved-out…" she trailed away and stared at her mother with wide-open eyes, (making her look rather like Rory whenever the latter had some sort of a shocking epiphany).

"Oh good, we have comprehension," the older woman nodded. "Richard was a wonderful man, but due to some health-related issues he just couldn't have children. Steven could, and I must confess, that if I had met _him_ first rather than Richard, I would have married _him_ instead. However, I did not, and Richard was a wonderful man. I miss him. I do not regret marrying him one bit." She trailed away briefly, lost in memories of her own youth, before zeroing back in on Lorelei. "But if it wasn't for Steven, there wouldn't have been _you_ – or Rory."

"So, so, mom is what?" Rory finally managed to reply.

"It's tricky; Richard's family had their own skeletons in the closet and I never understood them, but Richard was a wonderful man, and he had no problems in accepting Lorelei as his own, even if the rest of his family had their objections," Emily shrugged. "Otherwise, it could've been bad, especially for you, before your mother had married Luke – **sit down** , Mr. Danvers!"

"…I wasn't going anywhere," Luke lied. "I was just, was just,"

"Sit down," Emily repeated, less sternly, but with an exasperated look in her eyes all the same. "You married my daughter, you should expect insanity."

"I did, I just didn't expect it to come from you," Luke snapped, before backing down, (he was a non-confrontational person to begin with).

"Yes, well, things are changing now; my granddaughter is actually pregnant," Emily grew less philosophical and more thoughtful. "Rory, is it someone we know? The man you slept with?"

"Yes, grandmother," Rory grated, blushing like crazy. "Does it matter?"

"In the long run – who knows? In the short term – it is somewhat nicer; it is somewhat inconsiderate to bring a complete stranger into our insanity head on, you know? At least you seem to have taken more after me than after your mother and aren't planning to give birth in a shack, now do you?"

"No," Rory mumbled into her own plate. "Thank you, grandmother, for being so understanding."

"Don't," Emily own voice lost some of its edge. "Your grandfather's loss…it caused me to re-evaluate some of my values and views…the house I live in, it's too big for a single old woman, you know?"

Rory blushed and did not respond to her grandmother's oh-so-subtle hint.

"In other news, are you planning on having several?" Emily continued, brightly. "I don't know why _you_ didn't have any siblings; certainly, my daughter did talk the talk-"

"I couldn't," Lorelei muttered, blushing herself. "I mean, I _could_ , but I had my hands full with Rory; no matter how much I love her, being a mother is _hard_ -"

"You don't say," Emily said blandly. "Fascinating." She switched her attention to Luke. "Now, we are going to talk about maternity and similar issues, so you should go-"

Luke vanished. In the metaphorical blink of an eye, leaving Lorelei gaping.

"Oh look, he _does_ have a limit to his devotion to you," Emily spoke brightly to her daughter, before turning back to her granddaughter. "Now, before you get too deep into your motherhood, there are things that you need to know…"

And as Emily began to educate her, Rory was relieved to realize that her grandmother still loved her. However, she also realized that regardless of that, Emily Gilmore was still somewhat scary.

End


End file.
